By Joke Kujenya
VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION leader Maria Corina Machado has dedicated her 2025 Nobel Peace Prize to the people of Venezuela and to United States President Donald Trump, whom she credited for his “decisive support” of the country’s pro-democracy movement.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee announced the award on 10 October in Oslo, recognising Machado for what it described as her “tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.”
Machado, 58, who has led the opposition against President Nicolas Maduro’s government despite being barred from contesting the 2024 presidential election, expressed both gratitude and determination in her reaction to the announcement.
In a post on X, she stated, “I dedicate this prize to the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump for his decisive support of our cause!”
She added, “We are on the threshold of victory and today, more than ever, we count on President Trump, the people of the United States, the peoples of Latin America, and the democratic nations of the world as our principal allies to achieve freedom and democracy.”
According to the Committee, the award reflects Machado’s enduring leadership in uniting Venezuela’s fractured opposition and her continued advocacy for democratic transition despite threats to her life.
The recognition comes at a time when Venezuela faces deep economic collapse, widespread poverty, and an ongoing humanitarian crisis that has forced more than seven million people to flee the country.
Machado has remained in hiding for the past year following elections widely denounced by international observers as fraudulent.
Though prohibited from running, she supported former diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who many international actors recognise as the rightful winner of the 2024 election.
Her resilience has made her a central figure in the Venezuelan opposition, symbolising both political defiance and hope for democratic restoration.
The Nobel Committee, in its official citation, noted her sustained efforts “to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.”
It praised her for championing human rights under difficult circumstances and inspiring global attention to Venezuela’s political repression.
Machado has publicly endorsed Trump’s firm stance on Venezuela, including his administration’s strategy of exerting military and diplomatic pressure on Maduro.
She previously described a major US naval deployment near Venezuela as a “necessary measure” towards securing a democratic transition.
Following the Nobel announcement, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reposted Machado’s statement on X, amplifying her message of gratitude towards the US President.
Several Venezuelan opposition figures also extended their congratulations.
Two-time presidential candidate Henrique Capriles wrote on X, “May this recognition be another boost to achieve peace and for our Venezuela to leave behind the suffering and recover the freedom and democracy for which it has fought for so many years.”
